How to Create a Study Plan 
                                                                       ® 
                   for the MCAT Exam
                                                                                                           ®
                                                                                                    MCAT  is a program of the 
                                                                                                    Association of American Medical Colleges
                                                                                                    aamc.org/mcat
                                                              ®
                       How to Create a Study Plan for the MCAT  Exam
                    Contents
                    Introduction  2
                    AAMC Fee Assistance Program    5
                    MCAT Exam With Accommodations    5
                    Step 1: Find Out Everything You Can About the Exam    6
                    Step 2: Figure Out Where You Stand: How Much Do You Know?    7
                    Step 3: Gather Free and Low-Cost Resources to Help You Prepare    8
                    Step 4: Create Your Study Plan    10
                    Step 5: Study and Practice    11
                    Step 6: Prepare for Test Day    12
                    Inspirational Stories    13
                    Worksheets
                    How Much Do You Know?    14
                    Inventory of Resources and Strategies    16
                    Study Plan    18
                    Study Plan Schedule    20
                                                                                   1                                           Association of  
                                                                                                                               American Medical Colleges
                                                              ®
                       How to Create a Study Plan for the MCAT  Exam
                    Introduction
                                                                ®        ®
                    Taking the Medical College Admission Test  (MCAT ) is a milestone on your path to becoming a physician. One of the 
                    most frequently asked questions is, “What is the best way to prepare for the exam?” The answer is, there’s no conclusive 
                    evidence about a right or wrong way to prepare. You should assess your own schedule and confidence in your knowledge 
                    of the content areas covered on the exam to create a study plan that works best for you.
                    The AAMC developed this guide to help you design a study plan around the time you have available to prepare and 
                    assess the topics you need to focus on the most. The guide will walk you through six steps to creating a personalized 
                    MCAT preparation strategy. It also provides information on how to use free and low-cost resources with the time you 
                    have available on the topics you need to focus on most. 
                    The guide also includes links to testimonials and inspiring stories from medical students and physicians who have 
                    overcome significant obstacles to perform well on the MCAT exam (page 13). Finally, worksheets in this guide help  
                    you keep track of your progress and schedule as you move through your timeline. 
           !        Do you prefer to track your progress online? Check out the digital version of this study plan guide by logging in to 
                    the MCAT Official Prep Hub with your AAMC credentials. 
                    2018 PMQ Data                                                                   Time spent                Percentage of 
                    After taking the MCAT exam, examinees have an opportunity                        preparing                respondents
                    to share feedback on their experience through the Post-MCAT                                     Weeks
                    Questionnaire (PMQ). Here’s what PMQ respondents told us when                                 0-8      26%
                    asked how much time they spent preparing for the MCAT exam.                                  9-12      27%
                                                                                                               13-16       19%
                                                                                                       More than 16        28%
                                                                                                               Hours per week
                                                                                                                 0-10      21%
                                                                                                               11-20       28%
                                                                                                               21-30       22%
                                                                                                       More than 30        29%
                                                                                   2                                           Association of  
                                                                                                                               American Medical Colleges
                                                              ®
                       How to Create a Study Plan for the MCAT  Exam
                    How to Use This Guide
                    This guide walks you through six steps to develop your own study plan. Some steps will require more time than others; 
                    however, the amount of time you spend on each step will depend on your level of preparedness and the time you have 
                    available to study and practice. The steps you will take to prepare for the MCAT exam are:
                         1    Find Out Everything You Can About the Exam 
                         2    Figure Out Where You Stand: How Much Do You Know?
                         3    Gather Free and Low-Cost Resources to Help You Prepare 
                         4    Create Your Study Plan
                         5    Study and Practice
                         6    Prepare for Test Day 
                    The figure below suggests which steps are likely to take more time. 
                    Steps 1-4 are to create your customized study plan. They compose a relatively small portion of your preparation time,  
                    but they are important first steps.
                    During Step 5, you will use your plan to study and practice. As you can see, this may take little time or it may consume 
                    the majority of your time, depending on how prepared you are when you start studying.
                    Finally, in Step 6, we encourage you to set aside time to take a practice exam under similar testing conditions and 
                    evaluate your readiness.
                          1        2     3   4                                            5                                               6
                        Develop your                                        Study and practice                                   Simulate test day 
                          study plan                                                                                              or evaluate your 
                                                                                                                                     readiness
            !       Remember, each step will depend on your level of preparedness and the time you have available to study and 
                    practice. It is important that you only take the MCAT exam once you feel fully prepared.
                                                                                   3                                            Association of  
                                                                                                                                American Medical Colleges